It’s that time of year again: time to welcome the new Ikea catalogue — a global favourite read when it comes to affordable home style.

We’re certainly excited to get our hands on one of the 219 million print run. Yup, you read that correctly, 219 million copies are dropping through letter boxes across the globe.

This year’s style bible, though crammed with popular favourites for each room, is dedicated to life in (and around) the kitchen, and indeed those precious times that unravel therein.

In short, it’s all about the feel-good factor of spending time with family and friends.

Speaking recently to promote the new catalogue, Stefan Sjöstrand, president of Ikea Canada, said: “Home life is crucial for Ikea, but it’s often the little things that make the biggest difference. We know our customers love spending time in the kitchen so we hope to inspire them with exciting solutions for all food-related activities, whether growing, cooking, serving or storing.”

The theory behind Sjöstrand’s logic is perhaps even clearer when his epistle is broken into three categories: Grow and Produce, Cook and Prepare and Eat Drink and Serve.

Grow and produce

The more interested consumers become in food, the more fascinated they become to learn of its pedigree. In light of these concerns, many folk feel driven towards partial self-sufficiency or simply growing their own.

It’s heartening to observe the way in which Ikea strives to meet this demand with cleverly conceived kit (planters, tubs, mini greenhouses and such like) for compact kitchens, small-space indoor living and balcony farming.

Cook and prepare

Alone. Together. With family. With friends. We all eat. This observed, and with our world spinning ever faster, many of us run short of time for everyday cooking.

Combined with a lack of inspiration, this often means kitchen activities aren’t optimized.

Whether you enjoy a quick snack before dashing out, or a languid dinner with the kids, benefits increase when space is planned to amplify each gastronomic moment.

For many, noshing on the sofa is now as normal as scoffing in the kitchen, and the new catalogue reflects this with a variety of benches, dining tables and occasional options, all of which can be commandeered to suit your needs.

And not forgetting the great outdoors, the catalogue is jam packed with ideas spanning casual living to special occasions.

In addition to the printed version, the Ikea Catalogue App makes it easy to virtually plunder inventory from the comfort of your own armchair.

Courtesy of this year’s augmented reality feature, you can even see how products fit into your home while taking a tour of showroom settings with the new “Walk in the Room” feature.

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